1. Field of the Invention
The subject of the present invention relates to printing on a flat, cylindrical, curved or irregular surface. More particularly, the invention relates to a process to print on the surface of a drumstick (or any other contoured, irregular, or flat surface which lends itself to the process) utilizing a unique type of heat transfer procedure which imparts several beneficial properties to the resultant decorated item.
2. General Background
The concept of covering the surface of a drumstick in whole or in part with various types of decorative and/or functional coatings is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,326,535 entitled “Drumstick and Method of Manufacturing Same,” by the same inventor. The '535 patent establishes the history, popularity, advantages and disadvantages of various types of drumstick coatings with the conclusion that hot stamp foil is an ideal candidate for such an application. The patent includes heat transfers as a variation of the patented hot stamp foil process/product. This patent application does not dispute the concept of applying a conventional heat transfer to the surface of a drumstick. Rather, it provides an efficient, economical procedure for producing and applying a new, unique type of heat transfer which is especially suited for the application of images on drumsticks (but which is also suited for a variety of other items as well).
A typical drumstick which is sold in the music market today consists of a piece of hickory, maple, oak wood, or synthetic material, which is machined or molded into the shape of a drumstick, coated with a clear overcoat of lacquer or varnish, and labeled with a pad printer, silk screen process, or hot stamp foil. Some of the pad-printed trademarks include two different colors of ink which do not overlap. There is also a variety of colored drumstick products which are produced by staining or painting the wooden drumstick body (or by covering it with hot stamp foil as described in the Pokallus '535 patent), and then labeling the drumstick via one of the previously described methods. Within the past few years, however, certain drumstick manufacturers have attempted to print full-color graphics onto the surface of a drumstick in an effort to increase the visibility and salability of their products. (The most notable of these attempts is the “Collector series” of drumsticks produced by Vic Firth, Inc. of Dedham, Mass.) Several factors and considerations characteristic of drumsticks in particular make this effort much more complicated than it may seem: For example, the shape and texture of the drumstick body present an immediate problem. The typical drumstick has a cylindrical handle section ranging between ½ to ¾″ in diameter and from 10 to 13″ in length topped off by a tapered shoulder and tip section which usually ranges between 2½ to 4″ in length. Hickory wood is the most popular material by far, followed by maple and oak woods and various molded or machined plastics and/or composites. The size and shape of the drumstick preclude it from being printed with any standard commercially available full-color printing machine, and the open grain structure of the typical hickory drumstick makes it very difficult to print high-quality, high-resolution full-color images because of the characteristic “rough” surface texture (i.e. In comparison to that of normal printing paper).
In addition to the technical problems associated with the drumstick printing application, one must also consider a number of requirements dictated by the use and function of the drumstick itself. For instance, an image which is printed on a drumstick must adhere very well in view of the impact and damage that the surface of the drumstick is exposed to during use. In addition, the grip characteristic of the printed drumstick must be acceptable to most drummers. The drumstick must not be too slippery (the drummer might drop the stick during a performance) or too tacky (this could cause blisters from the resultant abrasion). Ideally, the inks/pigments, etc. used to print on the drumsticks should have excellent chemical and moisture resistance because a drummers hands often get moist or sweaty during vigorous performances or practice sessions. It would perhaps be possible to apply an overcoat of lacquer, varnish, etc. over the printed drumstick to achieve an acceptable grip characteristic, but the ink, pigments, etc., of the printed drumstick would have to be compatible with such an overcoat. This overcoat, if applied, would obviously add to the cost of producing a full-colored printed drumstick.